Student-centered learning is based on competency, rather than seat-time

Ms. Litwinczyk discusses the learning process with four seventh-graders. As part of Windsor Locks' efforts to track teaching trends, teachers visit one another's classrooms and discuss projects with students. Photo by Jennifer Coe.

Ms. Litwinczyk discusses the learning process with four seventh-graders. As part of Windsor Locks' efforts to track teaching trends, teachers visit one another's classrooms and discuss projects with students. Photo by Jennifer Coe.

Jennifer CoeReminder News

Student-centered learning puts the focus on the student

While a good portion of the country is still debating the merits of the Common Core standards, a local school district is moving beyond the controversy. By implementing new strategies under which education professionals will marry Common Core and "student-centered learning," Windsor Locks Public Schools, which adopted the Core standards two years ago, is now pushing the educational envelope even further by seeking to have their students earn diplomas on the basis of competency alone.

Student-centered learning is a philosophy of education which takes the spotlight off of the test and the teacher and puts it on the student. There is a strong focus on students making a healthy connection with caring adults from very early on in the education process. They are directed to demonstrate competency in a subject, rather than finishing the requisite number of hours allotted for a subject, and ultimately, be awarded a diploma based on mastery of knowledge and skills.

Director of Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, Joe Cirasuolo says that there has been a need for "educational transformation for decades. Public school was expected to give every kid a chance to learn; it was all about access," he said. "Now it is every kid has to learn."

Cirasuolo explains that student centered learning is all about "teaching kids in a manner that they have the time to learn….teaching kids in a manner consistent with how they are comfortable learning and teaching kids things they are interested in learning," all while using the Common Core as the backbone for public school districts.

Educators have to "stop giving diplomas based on seat-time," he said.

Although the student-centered learning model is still in its infancy as far as application goes, Cirasuolo says about 40 Connecticut school districts are dipping their educational toes in the water. "Thirty to 40 school districts are moving in that direction," said Cirasuolo, "with another 30 to 40 considering it. Windsor Locks has gone a lot further than other districts," he said.

The transition for Windsor Locks began in 2011 when Superintendent Wayne Sweeney was at the helm. Not only did Windsor Locks Public Schools adopt the Common Core standards, they committed to improving their general standard of instruction district-wide. "All students will graduate from Windsor Locks Public Schools – college, career, and life ready," said current Superintendent Susan Bell.

In 2013, the district announced that the first graduating class which would receive their diplomas based on "competency" and not "seat-time" would be the class of 2020, the current seventh grade class. This class has also seen an abolishment of traditional report cards, and has instead adopted a progress report style report card.

So how does student-centered learning look today in Windsor Locks Middle School classrooms?

"Students [will have] a clear picture of what's expected in terms of mastering standards (quality of work) and then execute a plan to meet those specific expectations, using their own voice and choice to guide them," said Bell.

They will also be involved in determining their own long term "learning targets" on a daily basis and will also be involved in critiquing their own as well as their peers' work. "Students [will be] using what we call 'accountable talk,' " said Bell. "They will be having deep conversations about topics or concepts, or deepening skills through authentic, relevant practice. In other words, not just learning about simple machines but making simple machines. Not just reading about or hearing a teacher speak about author's craft but making another's craft come alive through a visual representation," she said.

In order to make this transition a success, a tremendous effort has also gone into training teachers in this new student-centered approach. "The other part of the story is the amount of focus we have given to building the capacity of our teachers to teach in a standards-based/student-centered classroom," said Bell. "Grant money was allocated to train, by the end of June, almost 130 teachers (of 178) in Assessment in Daily Instruction, which is designed to help our teachers transform from a teacher-centered orientation to a student-centered one," she said. "You cannot build a system like this without significant support for teachers to shift their practice in ways that take students to deeper levels of ownership and learning."

Besides these changes, Windsor Locks has implemented, through a grant, an extended day/extended year program where students can take advantage of more instruction. A Saturday Academy has also been well attended.

In addition, through a $234,422 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Windsor Locks middle and high schools now are developing a Partnership and Pathways program which will create a "Pathway Experience" for every Windsor Locks student. Through this program, students would be given the opportunity to participate in internships, early college experiences and be exposed to a wide variety of career choices.

Bell's advice to other schools and districts considering this transition is multi-pronged. "It has to begin with a culture shift – focusing on changing the role of the teacher and student in the classroom, significant transformative leadership, inclusion of teacher voice, and an unwavering focus on improving the quality of instruction."